Metric System Law Implementation

Metric system refers to the International System of Units (SI) established by the General Conference of Weights and Measures.
The Metric System Board, per Presidential Decrees 187 and 748, interprets or modifies SI to fit Philippine conditions.

"Unit": a value or quantity used as a standard of measurement.
"Base Unit": dimensionally independent units by convention.
"Derived Unit": units formed by combining base and supplementary units.
"Supplementary Unit": units neither base nor derived.
"Standard": physical embodiment of a unit.
"National Standard": the country's primary standard.
"Measurement": quantitative expression of phenomena or matter (e.g., length, mass, time, temperature).

Length: Metre, defined by krypton-86 atom radiation wavelength.
Mass: Kilogram, based on the platinum-iridium international prototype.
Time: Second, defined by transitions in the cesium-133 atom.
Electric Current: Ampere, based on force between parallel conductors.
Thermodynamic Temperature: Kelvin, fraction of water’s triple point.
Luminous Intensity: Candela, based on blackbody radiation parameters.
Amount of Substance: Mole, defined by elementary entities relative to carbon-12 atoms.

Plane Angle: Radian, angle subtending an arc equal to the radius.
Solid Angle: Steradian, solid angle cutting an area equal to a squared radius on a sphere.

National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) maintains national standards with Board concurrence.
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration maintains the national standard for the second.

Metric System Board responsible for implementation, rule promulgation, and enforcement.
Board manages metric conversion tables, programs, rules of usage, and weights and measures.
National Metrication Month observed annually each November until 1983 to promote awareness.
Board continues its function under earlier Presidential Decrees until end of 1984.
Board positions considered highly technical/confidential with appropriate incentives for skilled personnel.

Violations subject offenders to fines up to PHP 1,000, imprisonment up to one year, or both.
Juridical persons can have responsible officers/managers penalized.
Foreign offenders deported after sentence without further deportation proceedings.

Initial funding provided under the 1979 General Appropriations Act.
Savings from Ministry of Trade and National Science Development Board appropriations may supplement the Board’s funding subject to approval and relevant decrees.

Any inconsistent laws, decrees, orders, or rules are repealed or modified appropriately.